
The aim of this module is to give students an opportunity to manage a project from beginning to end under the guidance of an individual supervisor. Projects are offered by academic members of staff and cover a wide range of topics from computer science and electronic engineering. Professional development elements such as risk analysis, project management, ethics and intellectual property (IP) are embedded in the project structure.
On completion of the module students will be able to;
1.Apply an appropriate design methodology to achieve a product defined by a specification.
2. Use Gantt charts and time management techniques to plan and manage a project over a period of six months or more.
3. Locate and read references and produce summaries and critical analysis of them. Be aware of peer review as a means of the quality assurance of written work.
4. Record plans, ideas, results, and reflections in a log book as defined in the project guidebook.
5. Work as an individual to specify, design, construct and test a system to meet a project requirement.
6. Demonstrate oral and written communication skills through the writing of the initial and final report, through the midpoint second assessor oral examination, through the preparation and presentation of a poster at the Project Open Day, and by providing a working demonstration of the project product at the Presentation, Demonstration, and Oral Examination (PDO).
7. Present and discuss ideas informally with academic supervisors.
8. Plan an employability strategy in light of current knowledge regarding graduate employment.
9. Define and discuss the role of an engineer in society particularly related to professional ethics.
10. Plan and report on the aspects of risk within their specific project.
11. Explain the meaning of Intellectual Property and ways in which IP can be protected.
Outline Syllabus
This is a triple module in which individual students work under a project supervisor to produce a final product starting from a project description provided by the supervisor. Projects are allocated at the end of the second year.
Working space is provided for students and regular weekly meetings are held with supervisors. In parallel with the independent project work students receive a weekly lecture on topics in support of their project work.